Situated on the coastal Praia da Barra, at the southern margin of the Ria de Aveiro, it is the tallest lighthouse in Portugal, with a height of 203 feet (62 m)[2] overseeing the barrier beach and exposed to Atlantic storms.

[3] On October 14, 1870, a general Aveiro coast and harbour illumination plan elaborated by councilman Francisco Maria Pereira da Silva, was approved by official dispatch.

[3] The works carried out that year included the insulation of the main structure with wall tiles and the installation of 14 concrete columns to reinforce the building.

[3] The lighthouse's main entrance is on the landward western side and faces a cobbled square and the town's center, while the seaward and southern side and harbour entrance is protected by the beach and an artificial straight break water positioned perpendicular to the shore line, reaching into the sea approximately 900 meters and the isthmus north shore, by an extended curved artificial breakwater about 1600 meters long.

The lighthouse tower including the beacon apparatus dome, stands 66 metres (217 ft) high and the light beam has a range of 23 nautical miles (43 km).